# Real people who inspired famous performances in movies or television
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/real-people-who-inspired-famous-performances-in-movies-or-television/341345
**Category:** Cafe Society
**Created:** [January 24, 2006, 2:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/real-people-who-inspired-famous-performances-in-movies-or-television/341345 "2006-01-24T02:09:09Z")
**Posts on this page:** 18
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@Sampiro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sampiro)
#### Post date: [January 24, 2006, 2:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/real-people-who-inspired-famous-performances-in-movies-or-television/341345/1 "2006-01-24T02:09:09Z")
Art Carney’s father had OCD and would drive his family nuts by taking forever to sign his name to a bill. It had to be exactly this way and no other way at exactly this angle, etc etc., and so what takes most people two seconds would take him several minutes. Years later when Carney created his characterization of Ed Norton on _The Honeymooners_, Norton would go through similar rigamorles when signing his name or doing other routine things, driving Ralph berserk, because he based the character largely on his own father’s quirks and annoying habits.
Mike Myers based part of Dr. Evil’s accent and his habit of sticking his pinky to the corner of his mouth on his former SNL boss Lorne Michaels.
Anthony Hopkins based Hannibal Lecter’s voice on the hypnotic tones stage actor Douglas Rains used when voicing HAL 9000 in _2001_ and added Lecter’s very seldom blinking on a teacher he once had with that habit, which he always found intimidating.
What are some other cases of real people contributing major characteristics or traits to famous movie performances?
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### Author:  [@Laughing\_Lagomorph](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Laughing_Lagomorph)
#### Post date: [January 24, 2006, 2:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/real-people-who-inspired-famous-performances-in-movies-or-television/341345/2 "2006-01-24T02:49:39Z")
How about Keith Richards inspiring Johhny Depp’s performance in _Pirates of the Carribean_?
I’ve heard that Ian McKellan based the accent of Gandalf in the LOTR trilogy in part on JRR Tolkien’s own accent.
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### Author:  [@Rodgers01](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rodgers01)
#### Post date: [January 24, 2006, 3:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/real-people-who-inspired-famous-performances-in-movies-or-television/341345/3 "2006-01-24T03:04:04Z")
Well, speaking of Mike Meyers, I believe he based the Coffee Talk Lady (Linda Richman? “I’m getting all verklempt…”) partially on his mother-in-law. Er, ex-mother-in-law…
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### Author:  [@Miss\_Purl\_McKnittington](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miss_Purl_McKnittington)
#### Post date: [January 24, 2006, 3:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/real-people-who-inspired-famous-performances-in-movies-or-television/341345/4 "2006-01-24T03:23:23Z")
There’s Billy Idol and Spike from the Buffy the Vampire Slayer universe.
Edith Head and Edna from The Incredibles.
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### Author:  [@jayjay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jayjay)
#### Post date: [January 24, 2006, 3:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/real-people-who-inspired-famous-performances-in-movies-or-television/341345/5 "2006-01-24T03:33:25Z")
> [@Miss Purl McKnittington](#):
>
> Edith Head and Edna from The Incredibles.
Visually, though, Edna Mode is ALL [Linda Hunt](http://www.americanphoto.co.jp/pages/movie/RE/Previews/Plans-37262.jpg).
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### Author:  [@astorian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astorian)
#### Post date: [January 24, 2006, 3:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/real-people-who-inspired-famous-performances-in-movies-or-television/341345/6 "2006-01-24T03:37:29Z")
According to John Huston, when he was directing “The African Queen,” he instructed Katharine Hepburn to play her character like Eleanor Roosevelt.
Years later, when Huston directed the musical “Annie,” Albert Finney gave Daddy Warbucks many of John Huston’s own mannerisms.
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### Author:  [@TV\_time](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TV_time)
#### Post date: [January 24, 2006, 4:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/real-people-who-inspired-famous-performances-in-movies-or-television/341345/7 "2006-01-24T04:47:17Z")
The movie _The Fountainhead_ was based on the book which was loosely based on Frank Loyd Wright. Of course Gary Cooper’s portrayal was not.
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### Author:  [@Peter\_Morris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peter_Morris)
#### Post date: [January 24, 2006, 3:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/real-people-who-inspired-famous-performances-in-movies-or-television/341345/8 "2006-01-24T15:37:54Z")
I heard that Joe Pesci based Leo Getz’s mannerisms and catchphrase “ok, ok” on some guy that worked in a fast food place. No cite for that.
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### Author:  [@Tentacle\_Monster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tentacle_Monster)
#### Post date: [January 24, 2006, 3:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/real-people-who-inspired-famous-performances-in-movies-or-television/341345/9 "2006-01-24T15:48:47Z")
Kramer from _Seinfeld_, The Dude from _The Big Lebowski_, and Max Bialystock from _The Producers_ were all inspired by real people.
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### Author:  [@FriarTed](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FriarTed)
#### Post date: [January 24, 2006, 3:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/real-people-who-inspired-famous-performances-in-movies-or-television/341345/10 "2006-01-24T15:49:34Z")
> [@jayjay](#):
>
> Visually, though, Edna Mode is ALL [Linda Hunt](http://www.americanphoto.co.jp/pages/movie/RE/Previews/Plans-37262.jpg).
There was some speculation that Edna Mode had a dash of Ayn Rand, which was funnier if you knew about Ayn’s love for capes.
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### Author:  [@Draelin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Draelin)
#### Post date: [January 24, 2006, 3:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/real-people-who-inspired-famous-performances-in-movies-or-television/341345/11 "2006-01-24T15:49:51Z")
Dana Carvey based a lot of Garth on his own brother.
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### Author:  [@WotNot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WotNot)
#### Post date: [January 24, 2006, 4:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/real-people-who-inspired-famous-performances-in-movies-or-television/341345/12 "2006-01-24T16:04:41Z")
I discovered an odd coincidence just today. The real-life veterinarian who inspired the character of Siegfried Farnon in the James Herriot’s books, and the films and TV series adapted from them, was named Donald Sinclair.
Which was also the name of the Torquay hotelier who inspired Basil Fawlty.
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### Author:  [@Zeldar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zeldar)
#### Post date: [January 24, 2006, 4:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/real-people-who-inspired-famous-performances-in-movies-or-television/341345/13 "2006-01-24T16:52:35Z")
Since Jim Backus was playing James Dean’s father in _Rebel Without A Cause_, and since Jim Backus was the voice of Mr. Magoo, Dean chose to say his line in the swimming pool at the mansion “…drown them like puppies” in a near-perfect Mr. Magoo voice.
Sorry, but it’s all I could think of…
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### Author:  [@cactus\_waltz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cactus_waltz)
#### Post date: [January 24, 2006, 5:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/real-people-who-inspired-famous-performances-in-movies-or-television/341345/14 "2006-01-24T17:51:42Z")
The CSI character Gil Grissom is based on a Miami based crime scene technician.
When you think about it, Gil is the only character who really lacks a social life outside his job.
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### Author:  [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)
#### Post date: [January 24, 2006, 7:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/real-people-who-inspired-famous-performances-in-movies-or-television/341345/15 "2006-01-24T19:01:05Z")
> [@astorian](#):
>
> According to John Huston, when he was directing “The African Queen,” he instructed Katharine Hepburn to play her character like Eleanor Roosevelt.
Probably the only time Eleanor was ever even tangentially associated with anything sexy.
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### Author:  [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)
#### Post date: [January 24, 2006, 7:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/real-people-who-inspired-famous-performances-in-movies-or-television/341345/16 "2006-01-24T19:03:04Z")
> [@TV time](#):
>
> The movie _The Fountainhead_ was based on the book which was loosely based on Frank Loyd Wright. Of course Gary Cooper’s portrayal was not.
I think the OP is asking for performance mannerisms, not characters. If the latter, then the most obvious answer would be William Randolph Hearst, who inspired Charles Foster Kane.
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### Author:  [@Ichbin\_Dubist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ichbin_Dubist)
#### Post date: [January 24, 2006, 7:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/real-people-who-inspired-famous-performances-in-movies-or-television/341345/17 "2006-01-24T19:12:24Z")
A friend of mine who lives in LA reported to me that Winona Ryder’s character in _Reality Bites_ was an eerie impersonation of a friend of his, an interior designer who had met with Ryder a few times. Haircut, clothes, mannerisms, the lot.
Not a classic film, I admit.
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### Author:  [@Shoeless](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shoeless)
#### Post date: [January 24, 2006, 9:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/real-people-who-inspired-famous-performances-in-movies-or-television/341345/18 "2006-01-24T21:50:10Z")
I don’t know if I’d call it a “performance”, it’s more of an idiosyncracy – but on “Everybody Loves Raymond”, you know how when Robert is eating cereal, he always touches the spoon to his chin before putting it in his mouth? I heard they got that from Raymond’s real-life brother.